NEW DELHI, April 20: Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes began a rare visit to China on Sunday and Beijing expressed the hope that it would help the two countries to work for regional peace “in a complicated world”.

The Press Trust of India, quoting a senior Chinese official, said the first visit by an Indian defence minister to Beijing since 1992 would propel military exchanges between the two Asian countries.

“In recent years bilateral ties have been constantly developing on the basis of five principles of peaceful co- existence,” PTI quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao as saying. “Under the current complicated international situation, China and India, the largest two developing countries should enhance coordination and cooperation and join their hands in making contribution to regional peace and development,” Liu added.